Storage tank



5 Sheets-Sheet l W. E. JOOR, JR

STORAGE TANK Nov. l 1, 1952 Filed Oct.

Nov. 11, 1952 Flled Oct. 26, 1945 Nov. 1l, 1952 w. E. JooR, JR

' STORAGE TANK 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 26. 1945 Nov. l1, 1952 W E, JQQR, JR 2,617,552

STORAGE TANK Filed Oct. 26, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. l1, 1952 w. E. JooR, JR

STORAGE TANK 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 26. 1945 Patented Nov. 1l, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STORAGE TANK William E. J ocr, Jr., Washington, D. C.

Application October 26, 1945, Serial No. 624,840

11 Claims. (Cl. 220--18) This invention relates to improvements in storage tanks particularly those utilized for the storage of large quantities of volatile liquids such as motor fuels, aviation gasoline and other chemicals stored under their own vapour pressure substantially to prevent evaporation and leakage into the outside atmosphere.

An object of my invention is to provide a storage tank comprising a substantial annular foundation structure with which are securely incorporated supporting columns and frame work for the support and assembly of the general tank members.

Another object is to provide a tank having a side wall, curved outwardly from bottom to top and forming an extension of the convexed or Ycurved roof with which, in larger sizes at least,

is associated an inner or central column preferably of hollow construction.

Another object consists in providing a tank of the character described'above in which the load of and that, super-imposed upon the roof will be largely. or wholly supported by the columns, such load in the larger sizes being shared by and received in part by an inner or central column.

Another object is to provide a tank of the character vdescribed in which the side walls Yand roof,

and, if so desired, the bottom are constructed of plates curved in one direction only and secured together in leak-proof relation, as luy/welding, to permit the fabrication of the tank orcontainer proper at the place of installation. K

Another object is to provide a tank generally of the character described in which the roof and side plates are secured to a ring-shaped girder, as I term it, preferably at or closely Aadjacent to the'neutral axes (vertical and horizontal) of such ring-shaped girder.

Other objects are exemplified in structural details described in the following specification illustrated in a specific embodiment of my inventtion as shown in the accompanying drawings,in

which: Y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a storage tank embodying the novel features of my invention, a portion of the side wall being broken away to expose the central column and the rattachment of the radial trusses thereto;

Fig. 1-A is a side elevation of a portion of a tank embodying a slightly modified form` of a central column and illustrating the attachment A of the top and bottom plates thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of a portion of Aa tank embodying my invention, the roof Y plates beingl broken away for clarity;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2; j

Fig. 5 is a vertical section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section drawn to enlarged scale showing the assembly at the points of .attachment of the roof plates, side plates, and ringshaped girder.

Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings in which A indicates generally the foundation structure, such foundation being mainly of concrete upon a horizontal extension Illa of the tank bottom III. Vertical and horizontal bars II and I2 are located at intervals around the foundation as are vertical reinforcingV rodsv I3 welded or otherwisesecured to the bars II. To increase the strength and rigidity of the foundation for a given amount of concrete, I provide hollow cores I4 as illustrated.v 'I'he outer periphery of the concrete foundation is encased in the cylindrical plate-like housing I6.

I have illustrated the tank as provided with a curved bottom I0 which preferably is formed of a plurality of metal plates curved in one Vdirection only, i. e., a section taken in a vertical plane through each plate will be curved but a section taken'in a horizontal plane through the same plate will be a straight line. The plates are preferably securely welded at their adjacent edgesto preclude leakage of gas or liquid therebetween. Side plates I8 are attached at their lower edges, as by welding, to the casing I6 as illustrated for example in Fig. 3 and associated with them and secured t0 them at their point of juncture are horizontal angle bars 20 preferably embedded in the concrete foundation. VIt will be apparent that this foundation can be poured and permitted to set before assembly of the remainder of the structure other than the vertical columns described below. The side plates are also curved in one direction only from top to bottom and are..

secured preferably by welding at their adjacent edges to form the complete side wall of convexed construction as illustrated in Fig. 1 for example.

Located above and spaced from the founda'.

tion A is what I term aring-shaped girder generally designated by B, this being generally of I-section with an inner. vertical flange 22 to which is secured by angles 22a, an annularweb member 23. An outer vertical flange 25 is associated withv the flange 22 as a part of this'girder and the ange itself is preferably formed as a vertical extension of the side wall f I8 as illus-.f

trated in Fig. 3 for example. Projecting inwardly from the ilange 25 is the annular web 25, secured to it as by welded gussets 2'| and 28. Diagonal struts 24 extend between and are Welded or otherwise secured to the webs 23 and 2B (see Fig. 2), in eiect creating a trussed girder. A peripheral angle bar 29 is located at the top of the flange 25 and secured thereto; this likewise being secured to gussets 2. Gussets 28 are notched or cut away to permit their extension above the web 2B as illustrated. Inverted angle bars 3| are secured, as by welding, to the under face of flange 26 and similar, relatively inverted, angle bars 33 are secured, as by welding, to the upper face of the flange 25, these angles 3| and 33 preferably being located at or near a neutral axis of the. ring-shaped girder B. A convex roof 35 is pro.- vided, this being formed of plates curved in one direction only and welded at their adjacent edges in such manner as to preclude leakage of gas or liquid. From the upper part of the side wall plates forming the side wall I8 are extension plates 31, secured, as` by welding, adjacent the lower edge to the side wall plates and similarly secured to one arm of the angles 3| at the upper edges. The lower ends of the roof plates forming roof 35.are similarly secured as by welding one end to the angles 33. In large tanks I nd it desirable to provide an inner or central support for the roof and supporting trusses and, in Fig. l, I have illustrated a center column d comprising a hollow cylinder of substantial diameter. The plates forming the bottom l are curved upwardly' to. meet and to be secured, as by welding, to the base of the cylinder 40 at 40a and the plates forming the roof 35 are similarly curved downwardly to meet the upper end of the column 4I. at 49h where they are secured, as by welding. In Fig. l-A I have illustrated a variant of column 40 for which is-substituted a column 40' which is composed of two conical frusta having their smaller ends welded together to form a unitary column to which the bottom and roof plates are secured in a manner similar. to that in the form illustrated in Fig. 1 for example.

At intervals about the inner periphery of the tank are provided vertical columns C, formed in more or less conventional manner of outer upright members 48 illustrated as structural channelsv and inner vertical members 49. similarly of angle. construction, the lower portion thereof being angularly and inwardly bent at 43a. The lower extremities of uprights d3 and 49 are likewise extended into the concrete foundation A. Struts 50 extend between and are secured to gussets 52 at their inner ends, said gussets being also secured to vertical members 49. At their outer ends the struts 50 are similarly secured to the gussets 28 and thereby to the upright mernbers 48. The uppermost angular strut 50 of each column is secured on its upper end to the corresponding gussets 28 as illustrated.

Radial trusses generally indicated at D extend between the columns C and the central column 40, being secured at their inner ends to gussets 55 at such column as illustrated in Fig. 1. These trusses are of generally conventional construction including upper and lower angle bars 56, 51, the formerV comprising in effect rafters for the roof plates to whose contour they substantially conform., The lower bar 51 is bent at 51a and slightly bent at 51h (see Figs. 1 and 3). Struts 59 and 6B extend between the upper and lower bars 55, 51 being secured thereto by gussets 'B 62 and the outermost strut 59 of each truss D is secured to 4 the same gusset 62 to which is secured the upper' end of the uprights t9. Similarly the outer ends of bars 51 are secured to gussets 59a completing the securing of the radial trusses to the columns 4S. One of the vertical uprights 5|) is secured to flange 22 of the ring girder (see Fig. 3).

Transverse tie members 'i8 are provided between the girder B and the column 4|) near the under side of the roof plates and are secured to the rafters 56 at intervals by short struts 1|, which are in turn secured to gussets l2, which are carried by said rafters. Between the cross ties 73 and the column d5 are similar tie members i5 which are secured in a similar manner to the rafter members 55 (see Fig. 2). Intermediate the columns C, about the inner periphery, of the tank are columns E which are substantially identical in construction with columns C save that the inner upright is not angularly formed yas in the case of uprights 5.9. Otherwise the constructionand arrangement is identical and needs no detailed explanation.

At intervals about the inner periphery of the tank wall and between columns C and E, angle bar struts 'i1 are secured to and project from the inner ange 22 of ring-shaped girder B. At their upper ends these struts Vl are secured to gussets 18 carried by the rafters 55 thereby providing additionalsupport for the roof.

It will be apparent that with the construction described and illustrated substantially the entire weight of the roof plates and any load thereon is transmitted to the foundation through the columns and frame work and such roof plates are adequately supported between the center column ll and the supporting columns C andA E by the structure described above. This permits the use of relatively light plates and likewise permits the use of light material for the side plates which are relieved of load support.

Before pouring the concrete foundation ring, itis, of course, desirable to remove soil and loose over-burden to obtain a rigid base of rockv or hard-pan and thereafter to spread a layer of sand which can be readily levelled olf to afford a smooth support for the bottom plates.

With the curved roof and side wall structure,

it will be apparent that pressure from the inside due to confined vapor, or liquid will set up longitudinal stresses in the roof and side plates which, being secured to the ring girders, preferably are adequately taken care of by the framework, including the foundation.

Since I am able to use relatively light plates for the roof and side, such plates may be readily cut and bent to desired form at the place of installation with simple, easily operated equipment and the plates likewise can be conveniently and economically welded to form a gas and liquid tight container. This permits me to dispense with a great part of the prefabrication in the shop which is necessary with present day structuresV and materially reduces the cost of the ultimate structure due to saving in labor, handling, freight,v etc.

a very stiff ring. It permits distribution oftheY metal of the ring about. both the vertical and Likewise this constructionV permits a more expeditious erection than mightV horizontal neutral 'axes so that the tensional stresses `of the roof platesand side wall plates may be adequately transmitted to the ring girder thus forming compressive stresses within the ring-shaped girder. Also, part of the metal of the ring-shaped girder is used as a portion of the side wall of the tank and part of such metal is used to correlate the roof plates with the side wall plates.

By the use of side wall plates curved in one direction only, asV described, the fluid pressure is normal upon each integral area of the plate on the concave side thereof and the stresses at each end of an element of the plate act in the direction'of curvature. Since the side wall plates of the tank are curving outwardly from the top and bottom ring and are secured tightly to the lower part of the outer flange of the upper ring and to the upper part of the lower ring at the outside edge, stresses at the upper and lower points of securement may be analyzed as follows: At the lower point of securementvtheresultant force of the stress in each plate acts upward and outward. This force may be resolved into two vector components, one acting in a horizontal plane and the other upwardly toward the upper ring-shaped girder. At the upper point of securement, the horizontal component acts outwardly away from center of the upper ring. The vertical component at the lower points of securement and that at the upper point of securement tend to pull these two points together,

. and, to make the structure rigid, the columns are located between the rings and serve to keep the points of securement apart in addition to supporting the weight of the upper ring-shaped girder, the roof and any loading thereof. The outer flange of the ring-shaped girder serves as a curved continuous beam with the columns at the supporting points, the loading being transmitted to the beam through the points of securement of the side wall plates to the outer ange of the ring-shaped girder. In order to take care of the horizontal component mentioned, I depend upon the gussets 28 extending between the upper portions of the side wall plates andthe web plate 26. With the described arrangement under average loading conditions, the resultant force of the wall and roof plates pass through the neutral axis of the ring-shaped girder.. Extreme loading (full tank with vapor pressure or empty tank with vapor pressure) will cause a light torque in the girder section tending to turn the ring inside out. The construction is such that the torque for the fullyloaded condition is about equal, but acting in an opposite direction to that of the empty tank with vapor pressure. This torque in both the upper and lower members A and B is resisted by the trussed columns C. y

I find it desirable in tanks of large capacity embodying my invention, to curve the side plates with smaller radii than the radii of the tank side wall in horizontal planes.

While I have illustrated and described one embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be restricted thereto beyond the scope of my appended claims.

I claim:

l. A storage tank comprising an annular side wall formed of plates outwardly curved in one direction only and joined at their meeting edges against leakage, a convex roof also formed of plates outwardly curved in one direction only and joined at their meeting edges against leakage, a

supporting frame comprising a plurality of .cir-` cumferentiallyl spaced vertical columns :andl a horizonta1 radial roof truss' secured to each of said columns, means disposed centrally of said roof connecting the inner ends .of saidtrusses, and a ring-shaped girder secured to the outer ends of said .trusses and to the upper'ends of said columns, 'said side-,wall and said roof. merging into each other, said roof being connected to said trusses, said girder being connected to said side wall and said roof at the merging juncture thereof to resist longi-tudinal stresses in the wall and roof plates. A

2. A storage tankras defined in claim l in which the girder comprises inner and outer annular vertical flanges and a connecting web including diagonal struts forming a truss extendingf-rom the inner flange to the outer flange ofthe girder. 3. A storage tank as claimed in claim 1 in which the girder comprises inner and outer vertical anges connected by trusses and the vertical columns each comprise vertical members connected by trusses, one of said vertical members being inL said. columns, means disposed centrally of said roof connecting the inner ends of s-aid trusses, and a ring-shaped I-section girder having its web horizontally dis-posed, said girder being secured to the outer ends of said trusses and to the upper ends of said columns, the upper terminal platesv of said side wall and the peripheral plates'of said roof merging into each -other and secured at the merging juncture thereof to the web of said girder to resist longitudinal stresses in the walll and roof plates.

5. A storage tank as claimed in claim 4 in which the vertical columns are aligned with and secured to the radial trusses, one flange of the' girder be` ing connected to the vertical columns and the' other flange of the girder being -connected to the trusses.

6. A storage tank comprising an annular side wall formed of plates outwardly curved in one direction only and joined'at their meeting edges against leakage, a convex roof also formed of plates outwardly curved in one direction only and joined at their meeting edges against leakage, a supporting frame comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertical columns and a horizontal radial roof truss secured to each of said columns, a vertical :column dispo-sed centrally of said roof, the inner ends of said trusses being connected to said centrally disposed column, and a ring-shaped I-section girder having its web horizontally disposed, said girder being secured to the outer ends of said trusses and vto the upper ends of said first-mentioned columns, the upper terminal plates of said side wall and the peripheral plates of said roof merging into each other and secured at the merging juncture thereof to the web of said girder to resist longitudinal stresses in the wall and roof plates.

7. A storage tank comprising an annular side wall formed of plates outwardly curved in one direction only and joined at their` meeting edges 7 against leakage, a convexroof also. formed of plates outwardly curved in one direction only and joined attheir meeting e'dges'against leakage, aA`

supporting framecomprising Aa plurality of circumferentially spaced vertical. columns and a horizontal radial' roof truss secured to each of.

said columns, meansV disposed centrally of said roof connecting the inner ends of said trusses, and a ring-shaped I-section girder having its web horizontally disposed, said'girder being securedto the outer endsof said trusses andto the upper ends of said columns, the upper terminal plates of said side wall and the peripheral plates ofsaid roofv merging into each other and secured at the merging juncture thereof to the web of said girder alongthe neutral axis of the girder to resist longitudinal stresses in the wall and roof plates.

8. A storage tank. comprising a side wall, a roof, and framework carrying said roof and wall, said framework comprising a plurality of circumierentially spaced vertical'columns adjacent said side wall andradial roof trusses, a ring-shaped gird'er connecting the outer ends of said trusses and the upper ends of said columns,V said gir'der having an outer vertical harige, said flange being a substantially vertical extension oi said side wall.

9. A tank for storage of volatile liquids under their Vapor pressures, comprising a rigid irame constructed of a horizontal, reinforced-concrete, ring gird'er, a. horizontal I -shaped steel ring girder spaced thereabove and concentric therewith, a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertical steel columns extending between said girders and securing. them in assembled relation and a vertical, shell-like, cylindrical supporting member of lesserV diameter and concentric with said' girders, roof plates extending between said member and said steel girder and secured thereto, said roof platesbeing curved upwardly from their points of secureinent to said steel. girder and to said member, radial trusses and rafters also incorporated in said frame and contributing to the support ofsaidroof plates, said trusses being integrated with said columns by securement thereto and so constructed and arranged: as toresist torques within the upper and lower girders due to loading conditions which. tendV to turn said girders inside out, a, side wall composed of: in.- tegrated side -platescurved outwardly and downwardly from said roof and outwardly and upwardly from saidvconcrete girder, said roof Yand side plates being curved inY one direction only, said tank being additionally provided with a bottom.A

10. A tank for storage of volatile liquids under their vapor pressures, comprising a rigid` frame constructed of a horizontal, reinforced-concrete,

8,. ring girder, a horizontal steel ringgirder; spaced tliereabove and `concentric therewith,- a plurality of circumferentially spaced verticaltsteel columns extendingbetween saidgirders'and securing them in assembled relation and a vertical, shell-likeeylindrical supporting member of lesserdiameter and concentric with-said girders, roof plates extending between said rmember and saidr steel girder and secured thereto, said roof plates being curvedupwardly from their points .of securemet, radial trusses and rafters also incorporated in said frame andcontributing tothe supportof4 said roof. plates, saidradial trusses and rafters being` secured at their inner endsto. said supporting member and at their outer` ends to said upper girder.

l1. A tank for storage of volatile liquids under their vapor pressi-Ares;comprising` arig'id frame constructed of a horizontal, reinforcedconc/rete,`

ring girder, ahorizontal steel ring girder spaced thereaboveand; concentric therewith,- a pluralityv of circumerentiallyspaced vertical'steel columns extending bet-Ween said girders and securing them inassembledrelation andya vertical+shell like, cylindrical supporting member-of; lesser cliameter and concentric with said girders, roof plates extending between said member and said steel girder. and securedA thereto, saidvrooi plates being curved upwardlyfrorn their points of securement to said steel girder and'to said.- member,

radial trusses and rafters also` incorporatedV in.

said frame and contributingto the support of said roof, plates, said trusses being integrated with said columns by securementthereto andso constructed and arranged as to resist turques within the upper and lower girders due to loading conditions which tend to turn said girders inside out.

WILLIAM E. J GCR, Ja.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record. in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

